The Virginia Department of Transportation invited local residents to learn more and ask questions about a proposed project to widen Route 17 at Gloucester Point in a public meeting Monday evening at Davis Hall on the campus of the Virginia Institute of Marine Science.
The project would widen Route 17 from four to six travel lanes between Lafayette Heights Drive and Tidemill Road, covering 1.15 miles of highway. This section carries an average of 30,000 vehicles a day, according to VDOT.
Project plans also include installing approximately 1,200 feet of sidewalk and a shared-use path and adding a new sidewalk along Tidemill Road to connect with the existing sidewalk on Hayes Road. Pedestrian ramps and pedestrian signal crossing equipment are also planned.
According to information provided at the meeting, the project is estimated to cost approximately $40.7 million, which will include preliminary engineering ($2.3 million), right-of-way acquisition and utility relocation ($7.2 million) an...